GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers threw five touchdown passes for the first time in his career to help the Green Bay Packers nail down the No. 1 seed in the NFC and claim another round of bragging rights in the NFL’s most storied rivalry by knocking the Chicago Bears out of the playoff chase.
Rodgers threw two touchdowns to Jordy Nelson, another two to James Jones and found tight end Jermichael Finley for a score as the Packers beat the Bears 35-21 on Sunday night.
Clay Matthews made a key first-half interception for the Packers (14-1), who used the win to tie down home-field advantage in the NFC.
The loss eliminated the Bears (7-8) from playoff contention and put the Atlanta Falcons in the playoffs as at least a wild card.
Third-string running back Kahlil Bell rushed for 121 yards for the Bears, who trailed by only four early in the third quarter. But Rodgers drove the Packers for touchdowns on their next three possessions to put the game out of reach.
Rodgers was 21-of-29 for 283 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions when backup Matt Flynn took over for Rodgers with 7:54 left in the game.
Chicago came into Sunday on a four-game losing streak and beset by injuries. But the Bears were able to stay in the game with solid defense and tough running by Bell, who started because of injuries to Matt Forte and Marion Barber.
Rodgers’ second-half fireworks proved to be too much for Chicago.
The victory was the Packers’ fourth over the Bears in 2011. Green Bay beat Chicago in the 2010 regular-season finale, the NFC championship game, and at Soldier Field on Sept. 25.
Brees on record pace; atlanta got big push for playoff spot
Falcons (9-5) at Saints (11-3), 6:30 p.m., ESPN
TONIGHT
The skinny: The Saints have won five of the last six meetings between these division rivals, and New Orleans coach Sean Payton is 9-2 against Atlanta. The Saints have won six games in a row, having scored at least 26 points in five of the wins and at least 31 in three of them.
The Falcons have won seven of their past nine and qualified for for the playoffs when the Bears lost to the Packers on Sunday night. The Falcons are 6-4 in NFC games, but now a loss won’t hurt their chances.
The difference will be: If the Falcons manage to unsettle Saints QB Drew Brees. Brees is King of the Carpet, having thrown for 32 touchdowns in his previous nine indoor games this season, a total that includes six 300-yard passing games.
Brees needs a total of 305 yards passing in his last two games to break Dan Marino’s NFL season passing yardage mark (5,084 in 1984). Brees has won his past six Monday night games and has a passer rating of 124.1 in those contests.
The call: Saints 33-21 Jeff Legwold, The Denver Post
